Past NATO summits have focused almost entirely on the war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year - but Kyiv’s bid to join the alliance has been stalled since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump. The U.

NATO is trying to reinvent itself just as the military alliance confronts Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. At a summit in The Hague on June 24-25, European leaders tried to convince President Donald Trump not to withdraw US troops and weaponry from the region or pull the military aid that’s helped Ukraine avoid being overrun by Russian forces.

Trump, en route to the NATO summit, once again raises questions about his commitment to the alliance’s pledge of mutual defense.